Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 695 - 482

Chapter 695: 482

Indeed, it was too fast, compared to the past extensive construction methods, the new construction method using prefabricated panels and modularization to accelerate progress, boasted a construction speed far beyond the past.

Had it been a person of the Master of Wisdom, they would have understood all this at a mere glance, but unfortunately, this was a Divine Envoy of the Noble God. Although he was a Sage, he was not one for pioneering. Even though he often delved deep, he was utterly clueless and powerless when it came to the new knowledge stemming from the past.

Therefore, Malin took the time to introduce the process once more, and then the Sage finally grasped it—he certainly wasn’t foolish, he simply lacked that last step to understanding.

The Church’s matters in the Shepherd region weren’t yet over when the God of Commerce stirred, as the Bishop of the grand diocese in the Farole region had already taken his place. After visiting the new pastures, he immediately turned to recommend the young people from the local Rongma to Malin.

For such a sensible Church, Malin, of course, would not refuse. After accepting these young people, Malin had the group’s side start a remedial class, letting the Apprentices who had followed Malin in the early years (who were mostly in charge now) to re-educate these youngsters.

Once the teaching was complete, there were plenty of positions in Malin’s Farole layout waiting for them to shine.

The two parties discussed further cooperation, and the old Bishop left very satisfied. Malin provided an escort for part of the way—by now, most of these smaller churches understood Malin’s character of respecting the old and loving the young, and those who were sent were elders who had weathered storms and would not act arrogantly due to their age.

The results were good, in their eyes, Malin also preferred doing business with such perceptive people.

So when a small church like that of the God of Fishermen came along, Malin still greeted the elderly High Priest with a smile—this Deity was too weak, and Malin had never heard of him before. It was Matilda who confirmed there indeed was such a deity; otherwise, Malin would have thought someone might be trying to pull a scam at his doorstep.

According to the old High Priest, the Church of the God of Fishermen had reached the brink of life and death—the last Bishop had died of illness, and now the entire Church was devoid of any Bishops; even High Priests like him numbered fewer than three, with only two small dioceses left in the entire Western Human World, one in the South of Farole and another in the Western province of Sydney.

It was the cruel God of the Sea who had seized the divine position from the God of Fishermen.

Malin’s first reaction was astonishment, thinking they had come to ask Malin to administer justice?

Then upon reflection, that didn’t seem right—instead of asking him, they should appeal to the God of Vengeance.

Also, he considered that the sect of the God of Vengeance was still in its formative stage, without even a diocese to its name, and apparently, the God of Vengeance did not even require dioceses.

So Malin could only open his mouth to ask the High Priest to see if there was any way in which he, Malin, could help.

Only then did he understand that the Church of the God of Fishermen was now unable to acquire Divine Arts (from Matilda’s point of view, the situation seemed utterly hopeless, all thanks to the damned God of the Sea), so they had decided to bravely sever the limb, so to speak; since they could not find a place at sea, they would retreat to the inland to seek sustenance from rivers and lakes.

That was easier said than done, so Malin wrote them a letter of recommendation, instructing them to head North to Regensburg. Malin would fund the establishment of their new grand diocese; and since they had to make a living inland, Malin also offered them a brand new way to earn their keep.

Since they were fishermen, the core would be the catch. Malin advised them to promote fishing as a recreation among the minor Nobles and affluent citizens, who, in this era, had both money and leisure, often passing time reading or attending tea parties, or perhaps hunting.

Malin suggested they introduce fishing as a brand new "lifestyle" to those who enjoyed hunting.

The old High Priest was very pleased, or one could say, delighted. After expressing his gratitude repeatedly, he left behind a pair of grandsons.

Malin was quite averse to such hostage-keeping behaviors, but one couldn’t help that it was a kind of "lifestyle" of the era, and in the end, he consented to meet the two children—yes, they should be boys, seemingly at the age where even dogs would dislike them, yet they were surprisingly well-behaved and sensible.

It seemed they were the kind of unfortunate children who, though young in age, had already been harshly beaten by life.

Malin took in the two children, reassuring the old High Priest to go establish the new diocese without worry. Malin didn’t need to personally go to Regensburg; sending Faye would suffice.

And indeed, as soon as Faye heard of the matter, she sent her mouse maids with her letter to Regensburg without a second word—by the time the old High Priest arrived, the foundation of his new church would probably have already been laid.

Malin was very satisfied with this.

......

"I think our Malin really has a problem with sight," said Nova, the first to speak at the new family meeting. She looked at her sisters with a sad face, "He actually thought those two kids were boys."

"Malin’s vision has always been at the pinnacle of blindness in this regard," Faye said with a smile.

"Yeah, he even thought I was a boy when he first saw me," sighed Clovis, too lazy to wear a chest wrap at home.

"Flat chests, of course, mean boys," Jessica said, then cupped her own.

Then she made eye contact with Nova.

"Let’s not mention that," said Nova as she used her Psychic Palm to send the self-important werewolf girl out the window, looking at her sisters, "Last night, I saw my progeny in my dreams too, a very silent girl named Rolin Gaiate... I don’t know what this means, haven’t you also had such dreams before, Lillim and Maya, right?"

"Yes, after that, I’ve also had such dreams," said the wolf girl struggling to climb back in through the window.

"Me too," Matilda raised her hand, "I asked a Diviner to do a reading, but he couldn’t make heads or tails of it."

"I tried to divine my dream visions, but there was no response at all," Maya said, "None of the details could leave a mark on the divining astrolabe."

"Perhaps it’s because all this pertains to the future," Rewo, being a Mage, naturally had her understanding, "I haven’t had such dreams, so I don’t really have a say, but analyzing everything you’ve said so far, I think that must be it."

"I agree with Rewo’s view," Clovis nodded in agreement.

"I feel the same, but on the other hand, if such dreams can be ’contagious,’ I’m quite curious about what kind of child would come to me," Faye said with a laugh, glancing at Jessica, "By the way, have you ever had such a dream, Jessica?"

"Yeah, my child was named Shelf Haus, a half-grown werewolf boy who was as happy as a dog when he saw me, truly a headache," after saying this, Jessica noticed malice from the group of Mages and thought for a moment, "If you’re going to push me out using Psychic Palm, I might as well jump out myself."

In the end, the three Mages did not push Jessica out the window—after all, that would be too much.

"So now that means, among us eight, I, Faye, and Rewo haven’t had such dreams, is it because as Mages, we have sufficiently strong mental barriers?" Clovis counted heads as she spoke, "Why is Lulu here too, I wondered why it felt like there was one extra person since the beginning."

"Don’t mind me," said the Night Watcher girl from the North with a smile.

"...You’re not one of us," the girls said in unison.

Then, after a round of giggles and laughs, Faye and Nova decided to adjourn the meeting, and Lulu chose to go back to her room to sleep.

As she walked down the corridor, the Night Watcher girl furrowed her brow.

She didn’t know how to explain everything she had dreamed about the night before, because last night, she dreamed of a child who claimed to be her descendant.

He said... his name was Engma Jane Haus.